Harness cam and treadle means for looms



May 5, 1953 L. M. ROGERS HARNESS CAM AND TREADLE MEANS FOR LOOMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2 1951 INVENTOR.

M M M A TTORNE Y May 5, 1953 L. ROGERS 2,637,348

HARNESS CAM AND TREADLE MEANS FOR LOOMS Filed Aug. 2, 1951 s sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. f 2 LEONARD M 206525 553 p g flflw ATTORNEY y 1953 L. M. ROGERS 2,637,348

HARNESS CAM AND TREADLE MEANS FOR LOOMS Filed Aug. 2, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 E 7 LEONARD r lf o s A TTORNE Y Patented May 5, 1953 HARNESS CAM AND TREADLE MEANS FOR LOOMS Leonard M. Rogers, Mendon, Mass., assignor to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application August 2, 1951, Serial No. 239,960

21 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in harness cam and treadle mechanism such as are used in looms for weaving.

It is a general object of the invention to simplify and to render more efficient the harness cam and treadle unit of a loom, and to improve the driving and change gear means therefor.

A more specific object is that of devising a compact unit which occupies very little space along the depth of the loom and which is also positioned centrally of the loom frame to leave space both at the front and at the rear thereof so that the loom may accommodate a warp beam and a fabric roll of maximum size.

A further object is that of devising an effective harness cam and treadle unit in which the treadles are pivoted at the front of the loom and in a line substantially below the fell line of the cloth being woven thereby to make possible the use of cams which all have the same throw and which will all be identical insofar as they perform a similar function no matter which harness they are effective upon.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a unit of the type described which shall be very rigidly constructed and positioned in the loom upon simple structural members of standard form connected to and supported by loom girts of similar type located closely adjacent, centrally of the front and back limits of the frame structure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a harness cam unit in which the cams may be removed, difierently positioned, or cams added quickly and with a minimum of effort. It is further contemplated that the harness cam shaft and its cams may be removed and replaced as a unit without disturbing the adjustment of those or other parts, and with very little mechanical disarrangement of parts involved.

It is a further object to devise an enclosed or sealed gear system for driving the harness cams, and further, an enclosure wherein certain of the gears are run in a bath of lubricant, while the change gears, on fixed centers, are quickly rendered accessible and may be readily removed and others substituted therefor, these gears also being easily lubricated and isolated from dust or lint.

It is a further object so to brace the unit and to arrange the bearings for the parts that there shall be a minimum of distortion under driving conditions and that the parts may be maintained in alignment under heavy loading and for the normal life of the loom.

It is a further object .to devise a novel trcfiddle which is easily fabricated and which has many advantages hereinafter to be described. Means is also provided by which the throw of the treadles may be altered, but without introducing any tendency toward unevenly applied forces between them and their attached harness mechanisms.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following more detailed disclosure.

With few exceptions harness cam and treadle mechanisms as applied to looms have been so arranged that the treadles have been pivoted at the back of the loom and the harness frames connected to the free ends of the treadles which were projected toward the front of the loom. This has one obvious disadvantage, namely, that the back harness frame has to be connected to a point on its respective treadle which is closer to the pivot and thus moves a shorter distance than points toward the end of the treadle farther from the pivot. Thus the natural effect would be to move the harnesses as observed from back to front of the loom, throughout a progressively greater extent or amplitude of movement, that is, just the reverse of what is desired. To correct this, harness cams have been made with a dif:- ferent throw or efiective radius for each treadle of a unit. This has introduced complications, added to costs and involves stocking a great number of different cams to perform a very simple function.

Heretofore harness cams and their gear or other drive means have been operated uncovered and change gear provisions have enerally been considered to require movable centers and thus more parts. It has been necessary in many instances to provide treadles which were adjustable as to effective length and also as to the point of pivot. These have been more complicated and a problem of correct setting or adjustment has been introduced. 7

In overcoming the aforementioned and other undesired characteristics of these mechanisms, a novel unit has been developed and one embodiment thereof will be described by reference to the accompanying figures of drawing. The invention comprises a plurality of identical, simple treadles and a pivot means therefor adjacent the front of the loom, but at a position in which there is no interference with other and adjacent parts. A cam shaft is supported very precisely in a desired position above and intermediate the ends of the treadles and has a number of cams keyed or otherwise fixedly positioned thereon so that they may be disposed in proper relative angular position.

This cam shaft is driven through a train of gears completely enclosed in a casing part of which is oil tight. Preferably all bearings are of anti friction type and are permanently lubricated and sealed. The power for the harness cam shaft may be taken from any convenient rotating member, but preferably, the cam shaftcf the loom is provided with a drive pinion which in turn is in mesh with a gear on an intermediate shaft, and that shaft then is geared to the harness cam shaft.

The gear ratios and the distance between centers of the intermediate and harness cam shafts are so selected that by changing only the two intermeshing gears on these shafts, any desired reduction may be obtained as may be required for the number of shades (harnesses) being employed. M

The invention will now be described by refer ence to the accompanying figures of drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment, and where'- in:

Fig. i is a section taken through a loom to which the invention has been applied and showingthe general arrangement of parts involved.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the general arrangement of the cams, treadles, the bearing supports for the parts and the enclosed gear drive.

Fig. 3 is a view taken at the left hand side of Fig. land showing the parts as seen from that position.

N Fig. {is a section at the line '4-4, Fig. 3, and illustrating the manner in which the harness earn shaft and the intermediate shaft are borne, the method of attachment for the harness earns and the gear-s which are interchangeable as hereinafter described.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing in detail the manner of adjustably fixing the driving pinion to the main cam shaft or other part of the loom from which the driving impetus is taken.

Fig. i6 is a plan view of one of the treadles.

7 is a side elevation of that treadle. v

Fig. 7a is a section taken at line la-Ia, Fig. '7, showing details with respect to the clamping attachment of the treadle pivots to the side members thereof.

Now referring to Figs. 1 and 2,the harness cam mechanism or unit is supported upon short middle girts I0 and II which are in turn connected by passes over a take-up or sand 'roll I9 and is wound upon a fabric roll at the forward part of the loom in a manner well known to those skilled in this art. Swords 20 carry a lay beam 2I and weft inserting mechanism, either in the form of a fly shuttle, or, as may more preferably be employed, weft inserting carriers acting to draw weft from a fixed supply and to extend but ends thereof through the warp shed,it being understood that the function of the novel unit herein described and claimed is fully as applicable to all types of 'so-ca led shuttleles's looms as it is to the conventional loom of fly shuttle type.

For the sake of simplicity only two harness frames have been considered here, although it is to be understood that any convenient number up to the usual plurality employed and controlled by harness cam mechanism may be used and, of course, the number of treadles and the number of cams functioning thereon will be varied accordingly. v

The unit is of compact nature so it is possible to design the loom frame structure with the front and back girts close to the center thereby leaving a very large and unobstructed space both at the front and back of the loom. That makes possible the use of large diametered warp beams and cloth rolls. Here the size restrictions thereof are shown by dot-and-dash lines indicating the outside diameters.

Now referring to the additional Figures 2-5 as well as Fig. 1, a plurality of treadles 22 are pivoted on a. shaft 23 which is in turn fixed at either end within restraining blocks 24 and 25 which are in turn fixed to the structural supportin; members or short girts I0 and I I. The shaft 23 is hollow for a portion of its length and a suitable grease gun connection is provided at one end so that the treadle bearings may be lubricated. Its center is substantially in a line below the fell line of the cloth. The mounting blocks 2d and 25 are located adjacent the front of the loom rather than at the back and thus the angular movement imparted to these treadles as illustrated in Fig. 1 or 3, is substantially the same angular movement imparted to the threads forming the Warp shed. As the connections 26 from each treadle to its respective harness frame move throughout additional distances progressing from the front harness to the back one, the increased distance which each harness moves is substantially the correct amount required to maintain all warp threads within a single plane in either the upper or lower shed components as is theoretically and practically most desirable. That is provided for according to the present improvement without resort to different treadles or different cams, or without resort to unusual methods of operation or systems of varying the pivot point from one treadle to another as has sometimes been found necessary.

A plurality of harness cams 21, there being 'six such cams illustrated in Fig. 2, although only two harness frame connections are shown, is keyed or otherwise so fixed upon the harness cam shaft 28 that they may easily be assembled or removed. Each of these cams has the same throw or effective radii as all others in the set, although the contours may otherwise vary as required to produce the desired effect of maintaining a -particular harness up or down for one, two or other number of picks before change.

These cams are provided with a short hub "29, Fig. 4, and these hubs are provided with keyways in any convenient number according to the number 'of different positions which a cam might possibly oc'cup'y. For example if two cams only are employed, or if a change "is to occur at each pick, the keyways in both the cam hubs need be two in number and should be spaced apart. An elongated key 31! is preferably fixed in a keyway in the shaft so that in effect it forms a spline along which the cams may be slid as they are assembled into position. Forthe simple two harness or two shade situation which is the most elementary combination employed, the cams are duplicates and are assembled oppositely or in directions 180 removed assho'w'n here in Fig. 4 and are then clamped in position. Frequently, of

course, a greater plurality of cams must be used, for xample, six cams and six treadles such as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The cams are retained in place by means of a ring or collar 32 at the right hand end of the shaft, Fig. l, this ring 32 being counterbored as illustrated to bear against and to retain in position the two halves of a split ring 33 which fits within a circumferential groove in the shaft 28. Ring 32 is also provided with a notch or keyway for the end of key 30 and thus the ring 32 which is actually of hexagonal or other convenient external form so as to accommodate a wrench, may serve to hold the shaft against rotation when removing other parts.

At the opposite end the cams are held or clamped in position against the ring 32 by means of a clamping nut 34 which has an extending sleeve-like portion 35, and a lock nut 36. These are threaded onto the shaft 28 and if a complete complement of cams is employed, no other parts are required, but in the event only two or, other numbers of cams less than the complete number for which the mechanism has been designed are to be used, then sleeves or spacers may be substituted in place of the cams and these properly position the parts along the shaft and make it unnecessary to thread the shaft for any appreciable distance beyond that required for normal assembly of the nuts 34 and 36 which, as will hereinafter be apparent, should be positioned at substantially the point which they occupy adja cent the left hand end of the shaft 23.

This harness cam shaft 28 is in turn carried within and is rotatable within bearings at each end, the bearing generally indicated by numeral 31 at the right hand end being of anti friction type as is preferred, although it is to be understood that the use of antifriction bearings is not absolutely necessary. The shaft 28 is turned down at this end so as to accommodate the bearing and is also machined to retain snap rings 33 and 39 which maintain the bearing in position on the shaft. This bearing itself fits into a properly diametered bore within the casing til, more specifically within the central or main web thereof. This web is denoted by numeral ti and is that which actually occupies a more or less central position some of the gears being disposed at one side and some at the other thereof, and carries all of the main bearings which support the various shafts involved as well as being machined to form a pad or pads 42, Fig. 2, which in turn bolt to the structural member It] at spaced points. The fact that the bearings for the various shafts and the support are in a single plane renders the structure exceedingly rigid and balances the stresses so that there is very little tendency toward distortion of parts and the general efficiency of the entire unit is thereby increased.

Continuing to the right, Fig. 4, the shaft 28 is tapered as at 3 so as to receive the gear 44 which is keyed thereto by a Woodruif key 55, or is prevented from turning thereon in any other satisfactory manner, This gear is held in position by a nut 45 hearing against a washer 4'5. The taper is such that no particular resistance is offered to removal of the gear '14, although the same may be held in position by a nominal force applied thereto through the nut 46 and washer 41.

At the left hand end of the shaft 28 is borne within a bearing generally indicated by numeral 48 which is a push or a light press fit on a sleeve 49 having a shouldered or flanged portion 551 against which the bearing seats being heldthereon by means of a snap ring 5!. This sleeve 49 also has a push fit on the end of the shaft 28 and the nut 36 and the inner parts of the sleeve are complementarily formed so that the sleeve may not rotate relatively to the shaft once the parts have been completely assembled. Here the sleeve is notched to receive a projecting lug or lugs 52, it being preferred that two lugs equally spaced be employed. These nuts are threaded in such direction that rotation of the parts tends to tighten them on the shaft.

The bearing 18 is carried within the internal bore of a bearing plate 53, this plate being removably attached to a left hand, A-shaped bracket 54 presently to be described. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, this bracket 54 has depending pads 55 by means of which it is bolted or otherwise attached to the left hand structural member I I and at its central portion is provided with an opening more or less concentric with the position of the shaft 28 through which the cams may be withdrawn or inserted as they are removed or assembled on the shaft, or, if desired, after removal of gear M, the entire shaft and cam assembly may be withdrawn outwardly through this opening. To permit that, the plate 53 provided with laterally extending ears 56 and 51 is bolted by means of screws 58 to a bracket 54. These are turned bolts and they pass through reamed holes in the ears 56 and 51 so that the parts may be disassembled and then reassembled in precisely the same relative location. The removal and replacement of these parts therefore involve no alignment or adjustment problems and upkeep and changeover time is reduced to a minimum.

New referring to Figs. 1-5, the power for the harness cam shaft 28 is taken from the main cam shaft of the loom designated by numeral 59 and which, in this particular installation, rotates at one revolution for each pick. In some looms this shaft might rotate only one revolution for every other pick, but that merely involves a change in gear ratios. It is to be understood that the power for driving shaft 28 may be taken from any convenient rotating element on the loom, but this particular shaft in the loom used by way of example serves very conveniently. This shaft is located more or less cen rally and the casing a9 is so designed as to be formed in upper and lower sections as shown in Fig. 3, the upper section having a cap (it thereon, Figs. 3 and 5, this cap being more or less necessary for purposes of assembly. A pinion 6! is preferably so fixed to shaft 59 that it aligns with and drives an intermediate gear lit at the desired ratio for these meshing elements, that is, a ratio of two revolutions of the pinion ill for one of the gears 52, as herein employed.

In 5 one manner of mounting the pinion 5i has been shown. The shaft 59 is provided with a keyway t3 and the pinion itself provided with a corresponding keyway is keyed to that shaft through a short key [it which actually passes through a slot 55 in a split, tapered sleeve Be on which the pinion and a bearing 6? are mounted. The bearing Bl, preferably of scaled anti friction type, fits within a proper bore in the casing and also bears against a shoulder on the tapered sleeve to be heldin position thereon by means of a snap ring 68. In a sense, the bearing 6'! serves only to steady the shaft 59 which is otherwise borne adjacent its ends and also to prevent anydistortion or deflection of the shaft amne ia 7 s lg hii 11 11 2 2 1% 19- 59 iate meshi s 32 champ r v p nion '6! and ear 62-.

The Parts are he d in p si ea b se t up n a gut. $3 which also ser es los ng em or th her a a side i the s e ng. this Hui eige thr aded 1w he sm le en of the p d. .3"? a 3 .0 hear n a i i n face g n the ene a ng fa of the pinion i e P s ar thu dj stable al ne th len th of sha 55 nd be ng k y was drive the harn s cam haft 2 hrough the nieltm d aie a s P s nt to be described.

eqsord ns o a m if the invention, it i cent mp e ed a in some n t n h i wa 6. may b dis n ed i h and that t ey 4 a nly ser e i Po it on th n on and the split; sleeve 165, the parts then being clamped a n t sha t a We nut 63 is tigh ed? Since h taper bet e e Pi ion s n e sleeve is ne ada d to r e a l vel ea mou r lambin w s the par s m y e d i en n this manner without keying the pinion 6| directly to the shaft itself The advantages of this latter t uct n are ha th P ll-10 ma e Wl m' ferentially adjusted on the shaft and thereby finer a j en s P o ide dd i n to h provided by the intermeshing change gears, although due to the speed reduction, in the most extreme case, the gears themselves provide an ad stm t Onear er of a tooth which. for most practical purposes is as fine as may ever b dem n e The pinion 5! meshes with gear {52, as before stated, and this latter gear is fixed in any suitable fashion as by a key 7!} to an intermediate shaft H rotatable in bearings 12 and T53 which are retained in suitable openings in the casing 4!. The casing is split at the center line of the shaft and; of cours th be in s e a l withheld in each half of the casing, the two parts of which are bolted together and the bearing opening drilled thereafter as is common practice. The shaft "1! has a collar id formed as a part thereof, the remaining portion of the shaft being turned down and tapered as at 1,5 for the reception of one of the change gears 16 which in turn meshes with the other change gear 44 on shaft 28. This latter gear or pinionlfi is held on the shaft by a nut 71 and is prevented from turning thereon by a Q d u r o her ke T8- Il e anti friction bearing 73 bears against a sho lder provided by the coliar M and is spaced from the gear 62 by a sleeve iii, the other bearing i2 being similarly spaced by a second sleeve 80, while the entire assembly is retained in position by a nut iii and a washer 82 it being understood [shat it is merely necessary to prevent the assembly from creeping sidewise within the casing thereby to maintain the gear 62 centrally located and for that purpose, a snap ring 83 is employed.

The iower part 4] of the casing is oil tight insoiar as provision has been made to have the lower ie ih I the s ar fig d into a re v oi oil which is maintained at an appropriate level. Thus the $5631 62 is continuously lubricated and the pinion (ii is in turn lubricated through its m hing 3% i h $53. I h b o e u ines s rv to er i e this a t 0if the as e l other than to maintain the level of oil. An oil level plug is provided for the purpose of ascertain? ins wheth r .0 no lu ri ant ma nta ed at the se ies? "he gh The ni n i6 and ea :14 are enclo ed a the ri h hand a d I he ca ing b means .Q a uickly r m vable sa e? 4,, se er b ing I?? iQva le Without ism-ba n O h parts nd its ren ovai also thoroughly exposes tl gears so; that the nuts 46 and T! and. the gears may be quickly removed and other gears substituted. The centers of the shafts 28 and H are obviously fixed so that the only possibility rovided is that of changing to other mating gear combinations which may be accommodated on these same centers. By careful computation and selection of the proper gears, these centers provide for at least five diffcrentgear combinations so that up to six harness frames or six shades may be employed, that being sufficient for about all plain or pattern weaving of various types of fabrics such as may be accomplished without the employment of dobbies or other more complicated patterning devices. The five different gear combinations all function on these same centers and may be quickly substituted and lubrication thereof provided by means of the application of a lubricant to the gears before the cover 84 is replaced.

While these gears are n01; run in a bath of oil, very little diiliculty is experienced in their maintenance since they are completely covered and dirt and lint; shereby excluded, also the speed at which the shaft 23 is to be run is in most all instances only one-fourth the speed at which the main cam shaft 59 functions or less, so that the problem of lubrication of these gears is a much simpler one than that of lubricating the pinion M which, after all, is not replaceableexcep t by a rather extended dismantling of parts, that not being necessary except in extremely rare in stances due to the complete enclosure and continuous oil bath within which the pinion opcrates.

The brace 54 guides the main cam shaft 59 by means of a bearing 85 maintained withina. bore at the upper end of the brace and prevented from movement along the shaft or Within that bore by means of a snap ring 86. This bearing is of anti-friction type and is permanently sealed and lubricated so that no attention is required. The bearing is lightly pressed onto a sleeve 85'- on shaft 59, this sleeve further being prevented from rotating by 2. lug and slot engagement with a collar 85" fixed in position on the shaft by a set screw, Fig. 2.

Now referring to Figs. 6 and 7 the treadles are fabricated from side members 8] and 8B which are of bar or strip stock merely cut to length and then machined as required. Three or any other suitable number of spacing members 89, 90, SI and 92 are used for completing the structural assembly of the treadles themselves and it; is preferred that these spacing members he in the form of shouldered rivets. When the parts are riveted in place they form a very rigid and serv iceable unit. The pivot for each of the treadles is comprised as a casting 93 which is clamped t o the side members 8'! and 88 as will be presently described.

As shown in Fig. 7a as well as in Figs. 6 and 7, this casting 93 cored as at 94, is split so that there is an upper and lower section intercon nected and clamped against the side members" by a clamping screw 95 passing obliquely through he ar a is show in F g- Th iipper P is provided with a bearing of suitable were, either a needle hearing or bushing 35 which pro: vides for free swinging movement on the pivot shaft 23 previously described. V H

The p v ca in s fir d by dam n in? i a s et Q os ti ned y means o a latera l di ected pi vin wh h Passes ibreu h bale Part part in the top of each of the side members.

There are three, or any desired number of such holes provided along the length of the side members thereby to make possible a slight adjustment of the pivot with respect to other parts of the treadle thereby to increase or to decrease the throw thereof. Very little such adjustment is contemplated. In making this adjustment of treadle throw, the blocks 24 and 25 which are slotted for their clamping bolts are also moved to compensate so that the followers 98 function under substantially the same conditions relative- 1y to the permanently centered cams and so that the effect of the cams shall always conform to that intended. The followers 98 are preferably anti-friction bearings mounted on a center pin 99 which fits within a notch machined in the ,upper part of each of the side members. Of course, any other type of follower may be employed, but such units are purch-asable as a standard item and serve very effectively.

The fact that the treadle is formed as an open structure, that is, with spaced, relatively thin members, permits lint to fall through it and also makes it possible to conserve in vertical height of the parts employed. The cams such as earns 21 are slightly narrower than the followers 98,

' and may pass downwardly between the side members 81 and 88 without contact and while leaving a reasonable amount of clearance so that the points of contact between the cams and followers need not be so far above the effective center line of the movement as has heretofore been required. It is to be understood that there are several types of cams used and with many of these the cam itself does actually pass down between these side members to an appreciable extent.

The connecting means lllil in the form of "a hook or any other satisfactory attaching means serves for receiving the movement imparted by the treadle to a pin IOI which passes through any one of a plurality of spaced openings 102, the number of such openings here being confined to six since, as explained, six shades or six cams and treadles have been deemed to be a reasonable number for the weaving of all ordinary materials.

These treadle pins llll are of rolled and split stock which tends to expand and are self-locking within the holes I02 upon assembly. They are readily purchasable and are known as roll pins. The hollow construction provides for insertion of a saturated wick for the purpose of lubrication.

The centers'of the pivot bearing, the follower and the holes I02 are in pretty much the same line so that a. uniform swinging movement is realized. There is little sway of harnesses from front to back of loom as the movement of the treadles is evenly distributed at each side of a neutral plane.

Referring to Fig. 1, a cam guard or cover N13 is quickly removed or replaced by flexing it out v of or into retaining grooves in sheet metal holders I04 and [05. This guard prevents lint falling into and on the covered parts and thus makes invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. Harness cam and treadle means for looms having in combination a plurality of treadles, means upon which said treadles are pivoted adjacent the front of the loom, a cam shaft and cams thereon, one cam for each treadle, rotatably mounted above and intermediate the ends of said treadles, a constantly rotating shaft in said loom adjacent said cam shaft and a gear train including a pinion on said driven shaft and a gear on said cam shaft, and a casing enclosing said gear train and serving to retain lubricant for at least some of said gears.

2. Harness cam and treadle means for looms having in combination a plurality of treadles, means upon which said treadles are pivoted adjacent the front of the loom, a cam shaft having cams thereon, cam followers carried by said treadles, there being a cam aligned with each follower and treadle, said cam shaft being rotatably mounted above said treadles and intermediate the ends thereof, a constantly rotating shaft in said loom, a pinion on said shaft and a gear on said cam shaft, a gear casing at least part of which is lubricant tight enclosing said pinion and gear and a train of interconnecting gears from said pinion to the gear on said cam shaft including intermediate gears and an intermediate shaft upon which said gears are fixed, and bearings in said casing for said intermediate shaft.

5. harness cam and treadle means for looms having in combination a plurality of treadles, means upon which said treadles are pivoted adjacent the front of the loom, a cam shaft having cams thereon, cam followers carried by said treadles, there being a cam aligned with each follower and treadle, said cam shaft being rotatably mounted above said treadles and intermediate the ends thereof, a constantly rotating shaft in said loom, a pinion on said shaft and a gear on said cam shaft, a gear casing part of which is lubricant tight enclosing said pinion and gear and extending between the driven shaft and the cam shaft, bearings in said casing and an intermediate shaft rotatable in said bearings, a gear fixed to said intermediate shaft and in mesh with said pinion, and a second gear fixed to said intermediate shaft and having meshing engagement with said gear on the cam shaft.

4. harness cam and treadle means I01 looms having in combination a plurality of treadles, means upon which said treadles are pivoted adjacent the front of the loom, a cam shaft having cams thereon, cam followers carried by said treadles, there being a cam aligned with each follower and treadle, said cam shaft being rotatably mounted above said treadles and intermediate the ends thereof, a constantly rotating shaft in said loom, a DlIllOIl on said shaft and a gear on said cam shaft, a gear casing part of which is lubricant tight enclosing said pinion and gear, bearings in said casing for the said driven shaft, for one end of the cam shaft and for an intermediate shaft, an intermediate shaft rotatably mounted in said bearings, a gear meshing with the pinion on the driven shaft and fixed to said intermediate shaft intermediate its bearings, said shaft extending beyond its bearings and having fixed to that extending end a second pinion meshing with said gear on the cam shaft, the latter said shaft also extending through its bearing in the casing to have the said gear recasing enclosing said gear train and a manually removable and replaceable cover extending over said harness cams and a part of said treadles,

21. In combination in a loom, a plurality of treadles, a harness cam shaft and cams thereon for actuating said treadles, a gear train from a source of power to said harness cam shaft, supportin means at each end of said cam shaft and bearings for the said shaft mounted in said supporting means, that bearing at the end of the shaft adjacent said gear train being axially slidable from its support, while that bearing at the opposite end of the shaft is retained in a removable bearing plate attached to the support ad- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,081,384 Jackson Dec. 16, 1913 1,911,981 Wiget May 30, 1933 2,533,128 Mallard et a1 Dec. 5, 1950 2,596,177 Schiavon May 13, 1952 

